Loves a hard thing
by dragonagelover21
Summary: Set after the end of Gears 3. Marcus has finished the war, but he can't cope with his loses, he's gonna need help, and Anya's ready to help.
1. When wars end

AN: WARNING, STORY HAS SPOILERS FOR WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES IN THE CAMPAIN AND THE ENDING. If you've already beat the campain then read ahead. PS. I LOVE HOW THEY PLAYED OUT HOW CARMINE _. (not gonna spoil it.)

"That's for Dom, and everybody else you killed you bitch." Marcus said with venom as he stabbed the queen of the Locust. "You... you... I h-hope you all die." Myrrah choked before she slumped to the ground. Anya stared at Marcus and could tell he was feeling depressed. She always could tell what his emotions are. Baird interrupted saying "Guys lets go, I don't wana be here longer then we have to" He said as he revived Cole from a grenade that was thrown to close to him.

Marcus just grunted in agreement. Delta squad then started there walk down the tower, Marcus was replaying memories in his head from this long war. Anthony Carmine's death, Killing Ramm, Tai's death, The sinking of Jacinto, The Hollow, Benjamin Carmine's death inside the riftworm, Clayton's Carmine's death less then half an hour ago, many memories flooded his mind at once. He was overloaded with pain and sorrow. And everybody knew it. But they couldn't do anything about it, not one person in the this world could do it now, now that Dom and Carlos are dead. The two Santiago brothers that were like his family. But after Carlos died, Him and Dom become brothers, brothers to the end.

But... that end came too soon for Marcus. And he hated himself for it, he wished he could go back and save Dom, but no, he was dead, like Carlos, like Benjamin, like Tai. Who did he have left in this world? He wondered that thought in his head for awhile before he realised that they were at the bottom of the stairs. They walked out the door of the facility with their armor glistining with blood and sweat. The COG members cheering for them and clapping them on the back. Dizzy, Sam, and Baird chatting as soon as they met up. As Marcus stepped out he pushed back the Cog members that clapped him on the back.

He removed the elbow pad from his armor, his gloves and chestpiece following soon after. Anya and the rest of Delta Squad looking on worryingly. Sam mouthed "follow him." Anya nodded and did. She saw him kick the sand on the beach angrily, And sit down on the ground. When she cought up to him she saw him take off his bandana. She kneeled down and put her hand on Marcus's shoulder. "I'm here Marcus, no matter how long it takes, I'll be here for you." Marcus looked at her sadly "What's left Anya? What's left in this world now?" Anya shook her head and answered "Tomorrow Marcus, There's finally a tomorrow!"

Marcus took her hand and held it against his chest. "Anya your all I got left now that Dom and my dad are dead." He looked in her eyes and she saw him lighten his eyes for once. "Anya I need you with me if i'm gonna survive now." Anya was happy, Marcus and her have had feelings for a while now, since she first saw him in line with other gears when he was just a private.

Marcus fumbeled a little with his words, for he never liked to show his emotions "I... love you." She knew that he never liked to show his emotions and took it anyway. She started crying and wispered "I do too." Anya said before smashing her lips on Marcus's. Marcus was surprised then he just followed her, kissing her passiontely.

The rest of Delta squad including Dizzy just looked on, happy that they finally quit dodging the bullet and got together. "Hey guys! I'm gonna puke if you continue!" Baird sarcasticly yelled. Anya just blocked him out and flipped him the middle finger. Cole and some of the other Cog members whistled as they watched on. "Whoo!" Cole screamed "About time you two did something!"

A helmet stood in the sand out of sight from the others. The helmet of the last of the Carmine brothers, stood in the sand like a beacon before before being picked up by Clayton Carmine himself. As he put it on he walked over to his pilot and picked him up and waved over a Raven. After a short trip they made it too were the rest of Delta was briefing. He saw Cole scream and yell "About time you two did something!" Carmine was confused before he saw on the beach Marcus and Anya making out. He knew from Dom, Baird, and Cole that in the past they liked eachother. And when Marcus was going to make it offical he was courtmarshalled for abandoning his post to try and save his father, and cost them the battle.

Carmine got off the Raven, smiled and yelled "So guys, whens the wedding?" Everybody including Marcus and Anya looked up and saw him standing there, in the flesh. "Carmine!" everybody yelled. Inside his helmet he smiled even larger, "Yep, ain't nothing that can stop the almighty Clayton Carmine!" The man of two deceased brothers yelled.

"Man, we all thought you were dead." Cole said happily. Baird agreed "Yeah" then he turned around and looked at Anya and Marcus and yelled with a mocking tone "Yeah guys, when's the wedding?" Sam scolded him for that "Baird be nice, it's good that they got together." Baird looked annoyed and scarcasticly mummbeled "Yes, mommy." Dizzy interfered "So, when you two gettin' together?" Baird got red and yelled "What! Me with her! I would neve- he was cut off from Sam kissing him "Just shut up already" she said "I swear you're worse then the Locust queen." Baird was stunned and stood there for awhile, in the meantime people loaded onto Ravens.

Marcus turned to Anya "Let's go." Anya agreed and they took walked to the Ravens. "Come on everybody lets go, we got a world to rebuild." Cole said as eveybody else loaded up.

"_Didn't think it would end this way did you Maria? Huh, well I'm gonna see you soon, and you, me and the kids 'll all live happy." Dom said as he drove towards the gas tank to dystroy the Lambent. Marcus turned on his Tac-com, "Dom! What are you doing!" "Marcus, your my brother, and we're brothers, so let me do this or we'll all die!" Dom yelled through his earpiece. "Dom, stop!" Dom screamed as he ran into the gas tank. Successfully killing all the Lambent. "DOM, NO!" Marcus yelled. he ran towards the exploded truck after the explosion was over. "Dom, no, no , no!" he fell to the ground in agony. _

_He crawled towards the trucked and was stopped by Anya and Sam. "Come on Marcus he's gone, we gotta go." Anya said softly as she put an hand on his shoulder. "Get off me! I gotta save him!" Anya started crying at the saddness of Dom's death. "We gotta go Marcus, or else he'll of died for nothing." Marcus calmed down. "Ok, let's go." Marcus said before standing up and picking up his lancer and continued walking down the road in silence._

"Dom, Dom, Dom, No!" Marcus screamed as he woke up from his nightmare. The women sleeping next to him woke up, "It's alright Marcus i'm here." Anya said soothingly. A day had gone by since The war had offically ended. Marcus calmed down, "I still can't belive he's gone Anya. We were brothers, brothers to the end." "It's alright Marcus, If you want to talk about it we can." He shook his head.

"No, I'm alright let's just go back to bed." As they dosed off Anya was worried for Marcus and while she knew that he would get better, it would take a long time. But she's willing to take that time and help him, but she knew that that's not going to be the for a long time. But one thing she knew is that that's just the first of many nightmares.

AN: First chapter everybody! Gears of war has always been my favorite game series second being Fallout. I love how they played out Carmine I was like "NOOO" when I saw his helmet and then when he picked it up I was like a giddy schoolgirl. :L

Anyway thanks for reading the first chapter and if you want to hit me up on Gears then PM me. Also I think The Anya/Marcus pairing needs more fanfiction, and that their awsome together, but Griffen was a dick in the campian. And The reason I'm posting this story is because I need some time to think about what to do in "Close as a shadow, Twice as silent" but the chapter for that should come up soon. - Dragonagelover21


	2. Time for remembering

AN: Thanks to Homer's Disciple for reviewing!

Marcus was looking out at the ocean again, like he always did. It's been a week since the war ended and Marcus seems lost, like he doesn't know what to do. I don't blame him. He's been fighting for as long as he can care to remember. When that war ends, some people don't know what to do with thier lives. Cole's thinking he could get Thrashball started again, but heh said thats a far-off dream that he probably wouldn't live to see. Baird and me told him that he should try, Everything helps. Bairds thinking of going and just repairing the damage, be an architecht. "Do something with my skill." he said "Instead of being useless." Sam responded saying "You could always be my personal maid." Baird put on 'Sarcastic mode' as most people call it and said "Sure, while i'm at it, i'll make your life a living hell." "Sorry hun, being in a relationship with you is hell enough." "Ha-ha-ha" Baird responded sarcasticly.

Marcus has opened up, just a little, about his feelings saying that "Dom would've wanted to run a little mechanic shop, like when we were little we used to repair his dad's car with Carlos and me." I liked it when he opened up, it was refreshing, not having to worry about him every second of being awake. Only to have nightmares about him dying in your sleep." I hugged him affectinetly saying "Don't worry Marcus, it's alright, just talk to me about it." But.. Marcus wouldn't say any more. I don't blame him, it was hard to see your best friends die, like when my mom died, I related that to him losing Carlos, back during Aspho fields. But he got mad when I said it and said "Don't compare them together, Carlos may have been a brother, but She was your mom, thats two completely different levels."I didn't mean to offend." I said quietly. He seemed to soften and apoligiesed, "I'm sorry." he would say sadly.

I remember talking to him about losing Carlos during his leave sometime near the end of the Pendralem Wars.

_"So, are you doing ok?" I almost asked, but I didn't, because I knew that he wasn't. He grumbelled shortly, he was my brother, we were-" but Marcus was at a lost for words. He couldn't comprehend what happened. Instead he said something I didn't expect. " I remember him dying, he was right there. He paused for a moment before continuing " He asked me to end him, to put him out of his misery. But... I couldn't, I wouldn't take him out, instead he pulled out a grenade and ended himself."_

_I looked at Marcus sorrowingly. He started to cry, which made me start to cry, he wasn't the emotional type of person, mostly from his relationship with his parents. But as soon as he started he stopped, putting up this wall that would soon become a permanate thing with him. Thirty seconds, thats all the time he allowed to show his emotions. But those emotions that he shared that night was all I needed to start loving him._

"Anya" I heard a deep growling voice say. "Anya" he repeated. This time I came back to the real world, "Yes, Marcus?" "We gotta go to the ceremony, remember?" It came back to me, we would go to the Garden of All-fathers to pay our respects to all those who died during our time in the war. "Yeah, lets go." I said as if I was sick. He looked at me worringly, "Are you alright?" he asked concerned. "Yeah, i'm fine, just tired is all." "Anya, you can go to sleep, it's alright, we can go tomorrow. I felt his sadness, "No, it's alright, lets go." Was all I said before we both walked out the door clad in black atire.

When we arrived we walked over to graves of Dom and Maria Santiago, I went to Maria's grave and placed flowers, Marcus placed his and Dom's Cog-tags on Dom's grave. We prayed that they were ok, all happy in heaven. Marcus looked down on Dom's grave like if he stared away it might dissapear, after his little moment he stood up and walked down to the other graves he wanted to pay respects to, I then started talking, to myself, to Dom and Maria, i don't know but I started of saying "Guess what Maria, Marcus and me are together, like you always wanted." She turned to Dom's grave "He's lost without you, but he'll heal, he has to, or else we'll all start to fall. "And Maria I have something else to say to you..."

As Marcus walked down the aisle of graves of soldiers that died in the Cog, he saw two figures in front of the graves, he was surprised when one of them waved him over. He decided to go towards them. "Well, Sarge didn't expect you here." A voice Marcus would reconise anywhere. "Carmine?" Marcus bellowed. " I almost didn't reconise you without your helmet. You here for your brothers?" The old lady of the two spoke. "Yes, we are. We wish to pay our respects to them, for sacrificing themselfs for the world." Marcus agreed "They were fine soldiers especially Benjamin." Clayton then stood up and gestured to the old lady "Marcus, I would like you to meet my mother, Benny Carmine." "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Carmine." Marcus kindly said. "You as well, Mr. Fenix, Ben and Anothany always talked about you." Marcus heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't need to look to see it was Anya. "Goodbye Clayton, Mrs. Carmine." "See ya, Sarge." "Clayton please, it's just Marcus now."

Clayton seemed akward for a moment before he said "Sure thing... Marcus." he said as he shook his hand. As Marcus linked hands with Anya he heard her enhale deeply, "It was good to get that stuff off my back." Marcus agreed, now when he looked back at the graveyard all he saw was Dom, Maria, Anthony, Ben, and Tai standing there waving off. He waved back, Anya looking at him weirdly before going back to looking at the sidewalk. "_Well_," Anya thought. "_It might not take as long as I thought_." She thought, and she kept that thought all the way back home with a smile on her face.


	3. Author's Note!

Ok if anybody is still reading my story, i have no excuse for this super duper bridge in the chapters, this is just a author's note but expect a new chapter soon! I hope you will accept this apology, also if anybody reads "Close as a shadow, Twice as silent, i'm going to put a poll asking if I should take it down or not, all the comments say "Bad Grammer, Format, so on..."

For one thing, the format on my microsoft word always screws up when i post it, the bad grammer is because i write these late at night, around 1 AM. Also guys,

I'm 13 so i'm not really gonna be the best speller in the world but i'm sure as hell not the worst compared to some people on this site and the rest of the internet in general...

So i just wanted you guys to see this little note, and i'm hoping I can make a chapter soon, so be on the lookout for that!

This is Dragonagelover signing off~ 


End file.
